


Worth the Kaiju

by Turn_of_the_Sonic_Screw



Series: February Ficlet Challenge 2020 [24]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005), Pacific Rim (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pacific Rim Fusion, Canon-Typical Violence, Drift Compatibility, F/M, Flirting, Mind Meld
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-26
Updated: 2020-02-26
Packaged: 2021-02-28 02:01:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22905901
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Turn_of_the_Sonic_Screw/pseuds/Turn_of_the_Sonic_Screw
Summary: Clara and the Doctor are just seeing the sights in late 21st century Japan when an anomaly is detected in the western Pacific Ocean. But with the jaeger pilot program decommissioned decades ago, who will save Japan?Pairing: Twelfth Doctor/Clara OswaldPrompt: Huddling for Warmth OR Pacific Rim AUBeta: imaginary_golux
Relationships: Twelfth Doctor/Clara Oswin Oswald
Series: February Ficlet Challenge 2020 [24]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1620205
Comments: 6
Kudos: 13
Collections: February Ficlet Challenge 2020





	Worth the Kaiju

**Author's Note:**

> Disclosure: I haven't seen Pacific Rim, but I did a little research, so forgive me if I'm a little fast and loose with the facts. Also, I've been sitting on this exact idea for a while now, so when the prompt and pairing came up I literally punched the air. Hope you enjoy!

“Here we are!” The Doctor stepped back as they materialized. “Tokyo, 2087. Home of the most sublime kani nigiri in human history and the location of the last surviving jaeger.”

“Jaeger? That sounds more German than Japanese?” Clara’s nose wrinkled as they stepped out of the TARDIS and into a covered pavilion overlooking the Pacific Ocean. 

“Behold: the last remnant of Earth’s second best defense against alien invasion.” Clara rolled her eyes at the implication and at having her question ignored. Beside the display jaeger stood the vestigial Shatterdome, now mostly retrofitted as a museum and memorial dedicated to the history of the kaiju, the jaegers, and their pilots; though, if the signage was to be believed, part of the site remained active as an ocean monitoring station.

“Pretty impressive, I guess.” She nudged her partner. “So, can we take it for a spin?”

The Doctor snorted. “We would need to establish a perfect synchronicity of mind and instinct. A process that took months of evaluation and bonding to establish normally.”

“Your point?” Clara pressed.

Before the Doctor could answer, a loud klaxon began to sound. A docent spoke into her headset communicator: “Shimura, what’s going on? The Memorial Alarm isn’t supposed to sound for another hour.” She paused. “What do you mean it isn’t a malfunction?” she hissed, trying to be as quiet as her alarm would allow.

The two time-travelers shared a look and a raised eyebrow and began to run towards the shatterdome.

***

“Pull up all satellite feeds,” barked a technician. “Raise the military! And who the hell are you?” His eyes refocused as the Doctor produced the psychic paper. “My apologies; I had no idea NATO had sent an envoy so quickly.” 

“What is it?” Clara asked. 

“Sensors picked up a strange disturbance,” the tech, a thin-lipped man named Harada, explained as energy readings and video feeds began appearing on large video screens. “But it doesn’t match any kind of kaiju; it’s not even close.”

“No reason it should.” The Doctor pulled up the coordinates. 

“The Great Western Garbage Patch,” recognized Clara. “What? A girl can’t be concerned about the environment?”

“Made of mostly plastic, which means--”

“--the Nestene Consciousness.”

Harada turned to one of his compatriots. “Start gearing up the jaeger.”

“You have pilots ready to go?” The Doctor sounded skeptical. “I thought the program had been disbanded decades ago.”

“It was,” Harada agreed. “Now, this jaeger never saw deployment, so she’ll need a call sign.”

“Terrific,” the Doctor muttered. “Go ask the literature teacher. Now, what can we do until your jaeger is ready to go?”

Harada coughed. “I suggest you get changed into your pilot suits.”

“Wait, what?”

“Come on, Doctor,” Clara pleaded, tugging at his hand. “How often do we get to save the world--”

“About once a week,” the Doctor muttered.

“--while driving a giant robot?” Clara finished, ignoring him.

“You realize that after this, there will be no secrets between us? No boundaries? We would be permanently linked.” The Doctor’s voice was low with tender concern.

“I’m already convinced, you know; you don’t have to sell it any harder.” With a wink, she turned and followed Harada down to be fitted for their suits.

***

“Prophetic Hybrid, you are clear to deploy.” Harada’s voice came in tinny over their headsets. 

“I hate these armored suits,” the Doctor grumbled. “I feel like a soldier.”

“You know that I know that you think there’s at least one advantage,” Clara replied, grinning ear to ear, and gave her bum a just visible twitch.

“Nestene inbound in twenty seconds; evac of surroundings is complete.” Harada informed them, ignoring their chatter.

Their jaeger flexed and prepared to charge into battle. Nodding, they took off at a run, meeting the Nestene head on and knocking it back. The thing was massive; an amalgamation of a million pieces of debris from tires to rubber ducks. 

“Wish we had some--” “--antiplastic, but failing that--” “--that building looks like a petrochemical refinery--” They goaded the massive conglomerate over to the industrial park, trading jabs and kicks as they did, knocking chunks of it off, only for it to reform. “--and plastic burns,” they concluded, letting the monstrosity charge at them, only to duck out of the way at the last instant. Its own momentum took the Nestene into the midst of a cluster of storage tanks. Pivoting with uncommon grace, Prophetic Hybrid spun on their heels and opened fire with their wrist blasters, igniting the volatile chemicals and with it the dying alien hive mind, writhing in a voiceless scream.

***

“I think we did pretty well,” Clara opined once they had returned back to the Shatterdome. 

Their eyes met as they neared the locker rooms: “Shower? Shower.”


End file.
